Japan

Clubs to Receive Financial Support

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Kozo Tashima, the President of the Japan Association for Football, has said that all the national athletes should focus on how to prevent further infection. It is important for them to stay indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. He got affected and recently recovered from COVID-19.

Tashima said that he has high hopes that the restrictions in Japan will continue to curb further spreading of the virus. A state of emergency is going on in certain parts of the country. He added that they are citizens first, and then athletes. He is hoping that all associated with sports will be conscious to battle against this virus and the country will soon be able to come out of this situation.

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KLOPP PICKS MINAMINO OVER COUTINHO

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Reports say Liverpool manager rejected the chance to resign Phillipe Coutinho when it became clear his marriage with Barcelona was over. Ernesto Valverde never trusted Coutinho enough to give him the kind of freedom Neymar enjoyed while he was at the Camp Nou.

In signing Japan international Minamino, Klopp reveals he will rather go for an unproven player than take back a traitor whose love for the greener pastures made him ditch an Anfield crowd that loved him like shark love blood. A major faction of the crowd will only forget him once their current squad clinches the title they thought they couldn’t lift without Coutinho.

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Akira Nishino Eyeing Knockouts With Japan

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Japan’s new head coach Akira Nishino is optimistic of the nation reaching the knock stage of this summer’s World Cup. Following disappointing friendly results against Mali and Ukraine in March, the JFA made the surprise decision to sack Vahid Halilhodzic, despite there being just over two months before the World Cup starts in Russia.

Speaking on FIFA.com, Nishino is hoping to put the best team together for the global tournament, and he has set the aim of progressing beyond the group stage, he said: “I will give my all to put together a team for Russia. I feel a strong responsibility. I have been away from the dugout for two years, and now I have to get my mind and body together as a manager. I don’t think we have fallen apart as a team at all. I don’t think we’ve been getting the results we should have and we haven’t reached our full potential yet. I want to get results. It’s the World Cup, so I want us to show that we are good enough to get to the knockout phase.”

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Halilhodzic Ready To The Youngsters Chance At The World Cup 2018

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Japan national team manager Vahid Halilhodzic has revealed that he is ready to give young players an opportunity in the squad ahead of the World Cup 2018. A number of established players like Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa will be crucial to Japan’s hopes of doing well in the World Cup 2018, which will be held in Russia. However, the Bosnian coach claims that he is very aware that the national team needs some young blood in order to take them through to the next decade.

Even though the likes of Kagawa and Honda have been extremely good, they may not be around by the next World Cup. There is plenty of pressure on Halilhodzic, as Japan has simply not been able to produce results in recent matches. After failing at the East Asian football championship in the final round, Japan has been unable to win the friendly games against Mali and Ukraine.

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JAPAN LOSE TO UKRAINE

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The Japanese national team has lost 2-1 to Ukraine in their most recent friendly game, played on March 27. The Asian side knows they have a long way to go if they want to impress in Russia this summer but this was made more obvious by the Ukrainians, who dominated and had a fairly straight-forward victory.

Despite missing out in the qualification race for the World Cup 2018, Ukraine were good in their showdown against the Japanese. The Japanese played African side Mali on Friday and they got a last gasp draw to ensure it ended in a stalemate. They warmed up for the Mali and Ukraine game using the Standard Liege’s Stadium.

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